Emily C.: Lesson Summary, 10/23/13

Emily Cottam

10/23/13 Lesson

We worked on keeping a continuous flow of breath with the end of the pitch, maintaining the position of the inhale so it feels effortless to get the air for the next phrase. Brianna told me I had root of the tongue tension, and she showed me that I could detect this by putting my fingers under my jaw and seeing if that muscle becomes firm while I sing--it needs to be loose. She warned me that my ribcage also collapses, so I need to keep it open by breathing like I’m smelling perfume--effortless. We started an “ng-ee” exercise to switch things up from the typical “thee” to help get my resonance in my mask. We worked on tracheal tug, working on keeping my ribcage open. Brianna told me to practice my diction everyday by speaking the words with space in between the back molars, keeping the jaw loose. We went through “Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal” and “Wie Melodien,” and she told me to make a personal connection in each of the songs so help me convey the meaning to the audience. A lot of this is made possible through the eyes--playing up the cheeks and eyes not only helps with the presentation of the music, but it also helps keep the soft palette lifted.